January 14, 2015 – On the heels of the FCC’s announcement of new minimum Internet speeds for all Americans, Internet advocates are celebrating today’s push from President Obama calling for common-sense steps to ensure American Internet users can access a wide range of affordable, innovative, and high-speed services independent of current big telecom conglomerates.

President Obama urged the FCC to override laws in 19 states that block independent options for Internet services, and called for new funding for municipal and rural broadband Internet development across the country. In response, OpenMedia.org Campaigns Manager Josh Tabish had this to say:

“Today’s news is a huge win for Internet users, and a great example for decision-makers around the world to emulate. We’re thrilled to see that President Obama continues to deliver on his campaign promise to promote the open Internet. Under President Obama’s leadership, the federal government is aiming to overturn unfair rules preventing affordable Internet options that telecom giants secured due to years of expensive lobbying.”

“For too long, Americans have been held hostage by expensive offerings from abusive telecom giants. But today’s announcement empowers local community-driven initiatives that serve the needs of everyday Internet users. Telecom giants have become as big and powerful as they are because the deck has been stacked in their favor for years. Today’s announcement will finally take steps to rein them in.”

Obama’s pivot to promote the open Internet comes after a year-long sustained campaign from hundreds of Internet freedom groups, tech platforms, businesses, and millions of everyday Internet users fighting for net neutrality. As part of this effort, OpenMedia has joined with over 60 organizations from 25 nations to launch Stop the Slowdown campaign, where Internet users can speak out in support of the open Internet and net neutrality rules.

About OpenMedia.org

OpenMedia.org is an award-winning community-based organization that safeguards the possibilities of the open Internet. We work toward informed and participatory digital policy by engaging hundreds of thousands of people in protecting our online rights.